Runaway
by tricia c
Summary: He found her on the streets with just her Pokemon for protection. He wanted to help her desperately, but would she allow such aid from an unknown stranger? He was determined to help her, no matter what. Beaconshipping, AUish.


**Disclaimed.**

**Note: This is game!Dawn, not anime!Dawn. Also, it's a bit AU, meaning the characters here are not exactly what they are in the games. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Also, the title is subject to change. Not now, but eventually. Maybe.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Found<strong>

It was cold where I slept. My fingers were numb of all senses, and the tips of my digits were tinted in a cold, pale blue. My breathing cycle was uneven and shallow, and I was sure that this freezing alley was to be my final resting place in this large and dense city.

Nobody looked at me, or paid any attention to my silent pleas for help. My back ached from leaning against the hard cement wall of the building behind me. The ripped and tattered linen wrapped around my shoulders and torso proved to be no help in defending me against the sharp, biting, bursts of wind. The beanie on my head, once as white as fresh snow, was now an ugly shade of gray with brown blotches smudging all the edges. It was my favorite hat despite its newly developed flaws.

My hair was a web of tangles and knots—a nest for lice and other parasites. Its once radiant color has dimmed into a dull indigo, or whatever shade of blue it used to be. Normally I would have freaked if I were seen in public with such a ridiculous look. Now, I'm just a stain on the pavement nobody would grace a second glance after shamelessly trotting over it. Occasionally, I would hear a few mutters or whispers here and there, but it was normal to me now.

_"Ugh, what a horrid site."_

_"Trash like that should be taken off the streets and put where they belong—in the garbage."_

I chose to ignore the rude comments, and instead focused my attention on the only creature I could ever truly call a friend. His round tan paw patted my knee as his large ruby eyes looked at me with sorrow and pain. He curled around my bare feet and attempted to radiate heat from his internal fire, but was unsuccessful to do so. Instead, he just violently coughed out black smoke and writhed in pain while I scooped him up in my arms and pressed his body close to mine. I soothed him and scolded him for trying to help me despite the consequences in doing so. He whimpered in reply.

With my partner held within my grip, and as the sounds of the city died down with the approach of midnight, I huddled closer to the bundle in my arms and prepared for another night of dangerous, below-zero weather.

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><p>The faint sounds of footsteps elevated as whomever they belonged to approached my broken body. With my eyes shut, I could not identify this person or persons, so as a response to the irritating noise I hugged Spire, my Quilava, closer to me, and flipped to the side, grumbling from the cold radiating off the hard ground.<p>

The footsteps continued, but at a much slower and lighter pace— careful even— once the person realized I was awake.

Frustration and curiosity came over me, and I sat up straight with Spire still in my hold, turning towards the person who disturbed my sleep.

It was a young man, most likely a few years older than me. His eyes widened in surprise, and I could distinctly make out the darkly hued color similar to mine. He was wearing a black collared blue jacket, with round yellow markings on the sleeves, and a black shirt underneath; dark blue pants with a silver chain attached, and gray shoes. What caught my attention was his blonde hair, an uncommon color amongst people around here. His tall and lean build was a bonus to his handsome facial features, and I found myself feeling self-conscious of my looks for the first time in weeks. The quadruped canine next to him with black and blue fur—a Luxray—gazed intently at me, glancing at Spire from time to time.

"Who are you?" I asked him. I was surprised at how rough and dry my voice sounded, and just realized how thirsty I was. I coughed to get rid of built up fleghm and spit it into my hand before wiping it on the pavement behind me. How graceful.

"Are you okay?" I turned to him, confused. He was worried over my well-being? That was odd. Usually the average passerby would just give me a disgusted look and continue on their way.

"...Yeah," I responded. It was then that Spire began to wake up. He looked around with lazy, half opened eyes, still recovering from drowziness, when his eyes landed on the man and his Luxray. He jumped out of my arms and stood between me and them, getting into an offensive stance and growling in warning. Spire was a very protective Pokemon, and never left me alone without making sure I was with someone _he_ could trust. I smiled, amused to have such a caring Pokemon with me.

The man put his hands up, palms open, as a sign to show he was harmless. The Luxray, however, stepped up in front of its owner and lowered its head, prepared to defend. I sighed, lifted Spire off the ground, and stood up—or attempted to. Using the wall as support, I shakily got to my feet.

He looked at me with melancholy. "I'd like to help you."

Within a second my eyes shot up to meet his. He wasn't serious, was he? Spire also seemed to be shocked by what this man was saying. Help me? Why? Maybe he just wanted to take me back to my famil—no.

"No," I coldly stated. If anything, the last place I'd like to go to would be _that_ place. Never will I return to that hell hole.

He seemed surprised at my response, but his expression became more determined. A particularly strong wind blew into the alley, and I shivered, tightening my hold on the fire type. The guy stepped forward—worried, I guess—but I took two steps back.

"Sorry," I muttered, before I turned tail and jogged away. My body protested, and my bones felt like they were going to give away anytime soon. I kept running anyway. At 15 years old, my body was like an accident waiting to happen. Without having had a healthy diet for the past month, my skeletal system weakened, and my stomach was always stricken with hunger pains. Spire and I always tried looking for food scraps when we could, but the more we looked, the harder it was to find.

I ran deeper into the alley, vageuly aware that the man was chasing after me. I turned a corner, my eyes tearing up at the thought of being caught and being turned in to the police. My rags billowed in the wind, and my speed decreased when the edges of my vision started to blacken. I swayed and wobbled, and the light around me started to fade.

My feet stumbled and my knees hit the ground. I heard a distant shout, sounding so far away but close at the same time, before I was emerged in total darkness.

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><p>AN: As you can see, I've started a new story! I'm super psyched to continue this one, especially since it was inspired by a very vivid dream I had recently. It was a very sad and sweet dream, and I wanted to write it in fanfic form immediately. Fun fact: I was actually debating myself on whether to use IronWillshipping or Beaconshipping for this. XD In the end, Beacon won, as there are some elements of the plot that would only make sense if it were Beaconshipping.<p>

Still, I love both ships very very much. :3

By the way, I love Quilavas. So I gave her one. And I nicknamed him after my Typhlosion in HG— Spire. XD

...Review?

-Pat


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